Hard Rock and Pinnacle Entertainment are among the developers to file preliminary 'interest' in building on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
Will a Hard Rock casino be the next project in Atlantic City? Or will Pinnacle step back into the game?
ATLANTIC CITY — Three companies, including the Hard Rock casino brand and Pinnacle Entertainment, which abandoned plans to build a $2 billion casino in the city when the economy turned bad, have filed an expression of interest in building a “boutique” casino in the city.
Under the boutique casino legislation, the Casino Control Commission can allow two smaller casinos with as few as 200 hotel rooms. Normal casino applications have to contain at least 500 hotel rooms. One of the two boutique casinos can eventually expand to at least 500 rooms.
The CCC asked for expressions of interest from developers by Friday, July 8. That filing, however, is purely preliminary and the companies have until Aug. 19 to file a more thorough application.
The Hard Rock filing, through its local partner Gateway LLC, was expected. The casino company has already begun advancing plans for a casino and has filed for permits under the Coastal Area Facility Review Act to build at Albany Avenue and the Boardwalk.
The Hard Rock is planning a $275 million casino along with restaurants, a rock museum and clubs. The company also plans to eventually expand the property to 850 hotel rooms.
The expression of interest from Pinnacle, through its subsidiary ACE gaming, was made to keep the company’s “options open,” according to published reports, and is not attached to a specific plan as of yet.
The company still controls the former Sands casino site, but considers the land an asset for sale, according to a spokesperson.
The third expression of interest was made by California Avenue Ventures LLC of Northfield. The company is associated with Northfield developer Max Gurwicz and Son according to published reports.
The company did not announce any specific plans for a project and is a bit of a mystery player.
Applications filed after Aug. 19 will be reviewed by the CCC, which hopes to complete the review and make approvals within 60 days.
Gov. Chris Christie Wednesday signed legislation to allow for two “Boutique” casinos to be built in Atlantic City. The legislation allows for two casino projects to be built with a minimum of 200 hotel rooms, lower than the 500 now required. Christie says he signed the bill as part of ongoing efforts to spur Atlantic City’s economy and create jobs. “This bill will provide a boost to the engines of Atlantic City and the regional economy, bringing badly needed jobs to the area and signaling the re-emergence of world-class entertainment,” said Christie is a press release. “While this is an important step in meeting our commitment to revitalize Atlantic City as a premier destination resort, we have more work to do in laying the foundation for growth in this critical area of our economy.” Several other measures to help the city are scheduled to be voted on by the state Assembly in coming days including the creation of a state-run tourism district in the city (to be run by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority), allowing online gaming, limited to state residents, and streamlining casino regulations and oversight. The bill allowing for smaller casinos, S-1866, “revises State law to authorize the Casino Control Commission to issue...
The vote is in on several bills that went to the New Jersey State Legislature yesterday (Monday, Nov. 22) involving Atlantic City. First, however, came the news that the primary bill ...
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